June 30, 2015 – It is a brutally hot summer day and my toddler is in desperate need of some cooling renewal. She squeals with delight at the sight of popsicles, while I internally dread the repercussions a sweet treat will incur. But wait just a minute, now I’m the one squealing with delight upon realizing that these are not your typical popsicles. Carrot, orange, ginger are the flavors of the drippy, sticky, cold delight covering my girl’s face and bringing so much joy. And I’m a happy mom, knowing that the newest farmer’s market vendor is Inzane Pops.
Kalisa Colton, co-owner of Inzane Pops with partner Jonathan Magnusson-Gumm, is also a happy mom. Some would say that creativity can blossom from struggle, which happens to be the story behind this new company. Kalisa explains, “Inzane Pops was created in late 2013 during a dark transitional period of time in my life. I was in the process of ending an abusive relationship and then lost custody of my son Zane. With my savings I packed up and moved from Monterey to Santa Cruz and sought refuge in the redwoods, where I spent time doing deep soul searching.”
That soul searching brought her to Jonathan’s small organic farm in the Santa Cruz Mountains. While pitching in there, a friendship formed, and then something more, and today, they are a family of three. With a combined background in Hospitality and lots of work experience in the food industry, the couple searched for a way to synthesize their “shared passion for quality food, being outdoors, nutrition, and food production.”
Meanwhile, as they worked hard on the farm in the heat of summer, an idea was born. “What better way to cool down and take a break from work than by enjoying a ice-cold, fruit-based, farm direct pop?! We started experimenting with making pops in our home kitchen, and shared them with family and friends,” says Colton. “As the positive reviews came back to us, we knew that there was something to our idea and thus Inzane Pops was born.”
Two years later, the pops are finding fans at both the Felton farmers’ market on Tuesdays and the downtown Santa Cruz farmers’ market on Wednesdays. The refreshing, farm-direct flavor combinations vary from pure and simple to uniquely “inZane.” In fact, Zane has a hand in almost every aspect of his namesake company. “He helps with production in the kitchen, selecting fruit for purchase, having fun with the family at events, and he is the first to test flavors and give feedback from a kid’s perspective. We look to Zane for inspiration with flavors, naming of the pops, and just all around joy and creativity,” Colton says.
His most recent creative streak has resulted in the Blueberry Pluot flavor, which Kalisa describes as tasting like starburst candy. Most popular with kids seem to be the Strawberry-Lemonade and Orange Creamsicle, made with coconut milk instead of dairy. Those two flavors have become a constant, as they can be made almost year round here. More seasonally dependent flavors on offer right now are Cucumber Mojito and the Chocolate-dipped Cherry Beet.
All the fruits and vegetables they use—sourced from local farms like Live Earth and Windmill Farm—are minimally processed. They are juiced, blended or pureed to preserve the quality of the fruit and no artificial sweeteners or binding agents are added. They just started making a zero sugar-added flavor, and while the majority of the pops are vegan and gluten free, you can also find a couple more decadent flavors to satisfy us dairy lovers. Oh, and that plastic bag covering your pop is actually compostable, made with polylactide acid which is a derivative of the lactic acid found in plants.
For those of you who might not be fortunate enough to be in the Felton or Santa Cruz vicinity, Inzane Pops plans to expand to wholesale distribution, meaning we will hopefully start seeing them in local natural foods stores soon. They also show up a variety of festivals and fairs, and are happy to pop over to you with their cooler cart for private parties and events.
About the author
Amber Turpin is a freelance food and travel writer based in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
